Gods and myths of ancient Rome. "seven kings of ancient rome"
Roman mythology is part of such an extensive topic as. And, about reading, about the meaning of books in those days among citizens, we talked in the article.
But back to .
First of all, it should be said that Roman religion and mythology were subordinated to politics, the moral principles of Rome and civic duty. Citizens should not have any doubts about the structure of their lives and the difference between the classes. All rulers are the chosen ones of the gods, and the sons of the gods. Therefore, they are closer to the celestials and they know better what life should be like. Many myths and legends of ancient Rome glorified heroism, were precisely epic. And, of course, there were mostly emperors.
It should be noted that if among the Greeks religion played a more divine meaning, then among the Romans the gods were an integral part of everyday life. They were necessary for plowing the land, sowing, successful seedlings, a rich harvest, etc. The gods each patronized a certain type of activity among people, certain natural phenomena and needed sacrifices. In other words, in the religion of the ancient Romans, rituals and cult occupied a central place. This could not but affect myths and legends.
In part, this situation was also due to the fact that religious scriptures were hidden from members of the Roman Senate. Only priests had access to them, who sometimes quoted scriptures as recommendations for senators.
Many emperors supported poets, artists and sculptors who created their works based on myths and legends of ancient Rome. This contributed to the strengthening of power.
At the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th centuries. BC. the ancient Romans began to borrow, assigning Roman names to the Greek gods. So, the Romans got the Greek Zeus, whose name changed to Jupiter, the Greek goddess Aphrodite turned into Venus, Ares became Mars, etc. At the same time, the famous Roman myth about the twin brothers Romulus and Remus appeared.
The essence of the legend is that the uncle, the king of one of the Latin cities, tried to drown the boys in infancy, in fear of losing his power when the boys turn into young men and gain strength. The newborns were placed in a basket and thrown into the Tiber. But the basket caught on a tree branch and was found by a she-wolf. She nursed the children with her own milk. The boys were later found by a shepherd. He raised and raised them. The brothers became strong and powerful warriors. They rebelled against the king and killed him. Romulus and Reme decided to found a new city. But a dispute arose between them over the place of construction and who would be the ruler in the future. The result was a quarrel, during which Romulus killed Reme. At the place where the she-wolf once found the brothers, Romulus founded the city and named it in his honor, i.e. Rome.
This myth is of great importance for historians, because. the Romans counted from the legendary year of the founding of Rome, i.e. 753 BC Now in one of the Roman museums you can see the statue of the very she-wolf that once nursed two twin brothers. This statue stood for a long time on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. It should be added that the myth of Rome in Virgil appears as the idea of the destiny of Rome to justly rule the world.
To the famous myths and legends of ancient Rome you can also add the myth of the hero of the Trojan War Enes, the legend of the battle of the Horatii and Curiatii, the myth of how the geese saved Rome.
Main sources myths and legends of ancient Rome are:
- "Aeneid"
- Livy, first history books
- Ovid "Fasty"
- Propertius, 4th book of elegies
In general, the Romans borrowed gods not only from the Greeks, but also from all the peoples they conquered. They worshiped foreign gods as well as their own. The culture of Ancient Rome was intertwined with the achievements of other peoples. It cannot be said that the Romans blindly copied other people's legends in their works. Much has been reworked, something has been brought to perfection and surpassed the original sources in its beauty.
Read myths and legends of ancient Rome no less interesting than fairy tales. Moreover, many of them are still pearls of literary art, on the creation of which many years of the greatest ancient Roman poets were spent. For example, "Aeneid"Wrote for a long 10 years. Subsequently, this work inspired many artists and poets to create their masterpieces. It should be remembered that all Western European culture was based on ancient art up to the 19th century.
Good reading for you!
Ancient Rome is not just the most powerful of the civilizations of antiquity, it is an entire era of world history and culture, lasting from the eighth century BC to the fifth century AD. This greatest state, in the period of its highest power, covering territories from the north of England to the north of Africa, from Gibraltar to the Persian Gulf, was named after its main city - Rome. Once a small settlement of outcasts and renegades, founded by the legendary demigod Romulus on the banks of the Tiber River, Rome eventually turned into the most brilliant creation of the hands of a man of antiquity and, rightfully receiving the title of "Eternal City", became the heart of a vast empire. It is there, in the capital of the world, that one should look for the quintessence of Roman culture, for which, in fact, this book was written. Therefore, throughout the story, we will not be able to move far from the walls of the Eternal City.
The body of historical and cultural information about Rome is colossal, under the same cover you will find only a brief overview of Roman beliefs and legends. Roman culture is specific and interesting in that, having absorbed and absorbed the customs and mores of the conquered peoples for centuries, it retained its own core and its own unique spirit under all these layers. We intended to acquaint the reader, who had not previously come into contact with this era, with the pantheon of Roman gods and the beliefs of the Romans, with the logic and ethics of Roman spiritual culture, with the most famous or characteristic legends and traditions of Rome, when we selected stories for this book. Everything written below is a presentation of the works of famous ancient authors, commented on as necessary with the involvement of the works of famous historians and, for ease of perception, is divided into completed essays and sections. We hope that this book will be only the first step on a long journey of your acquaintance with the majestic and harsh era of Ancient Rome.
When selecting plots for further narration, we tried, firstly, to dwell only on what could really interest the modern reader, and secondly, to focus on key points in understanding Roman life: thinking, behavior, mores and customs of people of that era. It seemed important to us and the need to properly, from the standpoint of that distant time, reveal well-known plots that were later repeatedly used in world culture.
The first section of our book is entirely devoted to the characterization and evolution of Roman beliefs, the relationship of the Romans with the gods and spirits of the vast pantheon. In the second and third sections, a corpus of the most famous, curious and characteristic Roman legends and traditions is collected, correlated with the outline of historical events. The last section covers a short, but probably the most illuminated period of Roman history - the age of the first emperors, where we analyze, to the best of our ability, episodes that may already be known to the reader, filling them with important details and comments that allow a more objective look at the heroes and the era. .
We hope that this book will bring a lot of interesting information, extraordinary observations and, of course, many hours of fascinating reading to the inquisitive reader, open to everything new.
On the way to the temple. Artist L. Alma-Tadema
Pantheon and Beliefs of Ancient Rome
About Roman mythology
Before starting a story about Roman myths, a few words should be said about the essence of ancient Roman mythology as such. Often we perceive Roman mythology as borrowed from the Greeks, which is hardly true. In fact, the ancient Roman religion is very distinctive and all the Greek influence on it is rather late, although impressive. The Roman pantheon is extremely extensive and complex in its composition and functions of the deities included in it, while various aspects of beliefs permeated all areas of the life of the ancient Romans.
Roman religion developed over many centuries as the Roman state grew, from a small city to a vast empire. Let's try briefly and superficially to understand the various aspects of the formation of the classical Roman pantheon - the one with which we are most likely familiar from Greek mythology.
The most ancient objects of religious veneration among the Romans were spirits - the patrons of the family, whose cult is older than the city of Rome itself. The Romans themselves believed that the veneration of these spirits came to Rome from Lavinium and Alba Longa, the more ancient cities of Italy. Such patron spirits include mana - the shadows of the dead, protecting their family after death, the household deities of penates and lares. Penates, lares and manes did not have their own names, were not personified and were revered by the Romans as a kind of nameless multitude. They will be discussed in more detail in the relevant sections.
The cult of the patrons of the family had, of course, a private, family character. Often the patron of the clan was a certain legendary ancestor, for example, the Juliev clan honored Yul, the son of Aeneas, in this capacity. With the formation of the state and the loss of the significance of the tribal organization, some tribal gods began to be revered within the whole state, changing the functions attributed to them. There is an opinion, for example, that the cult of the Faun, the merry god - the patron of shepherds, originally belonged to the Fabius and Quinctilius families.
Like most of the ancient peoples known to us, the Romans also deified streams and springs. Like penates and lares, these forces were represented by the Romans as an unnamed multitude of spirits. The Romans revered a group of such water spirits under the name "stones". The legendary Roman king Numa Pompilius dedicated a spring in Rome to the Kamen, in their honor small bronze chapels were built in the groves, where water and milk were sacrificed. Their analogues in some way were the Greek nymphs, and later the stones were identified with the Greek muses, the goddesses of the arts and sciences.
The most important starting point for the formation of the classical Roman pantheon are the so-called agrarian cults: rituals and beliefs associated with agriculture and cattle breeding. Many of the most important gods of the Roman pantheon, which received other functions in the future, originate precisely from agrarian cults. So, for example, Mars, the god of war in the classical era, in ancient times was considered the god of fertilization, the patron of agriculture and cattle breeding; Venus, later identified with the Greek Aphrodite and turned into the goddess of love and beauty, was originally the deity of gardening and viticulture.
To a large extent, the complex composition of the Roman pantheon was generated by the diversity of groups that made up the Roman community: it included Latin, Sabine and Etruscan tribes. Each tribe, each clan brought their deities to the Roman pantheon. Over time, the Roman state grew, and when its territory included new lands, the Roman pantheon acquired new gods from all over Italy.
It should be noted that ancient Roman mythology, in comparison with Greek, is rather poor in vivid images of the gods and memorable myths about their deeds. We have already mentioned the veneration of nameless multitudes of spirits, and the cults of such deities as Peace, Hope, Valor, Justice were also widespread. These abstract concepts were practically impersonal, they cannot even be considered real personifications. Nevertheless, sacrifices were made in their honor and temples were built.
It is curious that some of the ancient Roman gods did not have a specific gender, for example, the most ancient deity of the shepherds, Pales, is mentioned both as a god and as a goddess. Often the priests themselves were not sure what gender the deity belongs to, and turned to him "sive deus, sive dea" - "either a god or a goddess."
Ancient Roman mythology in its classical version is closely connected with ancient Greek. The Romans completely borrowed many mythological images and plots from the Greeks, the sculptural images of the gods were made according to Greek models. But Greek myths began to penetrate Rome only at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th century BC. e. And in more ancient times, the Romans had a different, original idea of \u200b\u200bthe gods.
Jupiter was the god of the sky, daylight and thunderstorms, Saturn was the god of harvest, Juno was the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Mars was the god of war, Minerva was the goddess of crafts and art, Venus was the goddess of gardens and orchards, Cupid was the god of love, Vulcan was fire, Diana is the goddess of vegetation.
The ancient Romans believed that every object and phenomenon - regardless of its significance - has a special patron god.
In the Roman pantheon, there was a god of sowing and a god of seed growth, a god of the birth of a child, a god of his first cry, a god of going out for a walk, a god of returning home, and so on. The Christian writer Augustine the Blessed wrote about the Roman gods who guarded the doors of the house: “They (the Romans) placed as many as three gods here: the doors were given under the care of Forculus, the hinges - the goddess Cordea, and the threshold - the god Limekt. Apparently, this Forkul did not know how to guard the hinges and the threshold at the same time.
Unlike most ancient peoples, the Romans rarely depicted their gods and did not create myths about them - about their birth and family ties, relationships with each other and with people, quarrels and love affairs.
The Polish writer Jan Parandowski, author of the popular book Mythology, writes: “This absence of legends, in which we now see a certain lack of creative imagination, was considered by the ancients as the virtue of the Romans, who were reputed to be the most religious people. (…) This religion (…) had no myths discrediting the honor and dignity of the gods.
The Romans consciously refused to give their gods any appearance and character. Often even their gender and name were left undefined. In prayers, the deity was addressed as follows: “Are you a god or a goddess, are you a man or a woman,” and if they nevertheless called the god by name, they added: “or whatever other name you wish to be called.”
However, some scholars believe that such impersonal worship of the gods was cultivated by the priests, and traditional myths were widespread among the people, but they did not reach our time.
There is an assumption that once the Romans had a myth about the creation of the world by the god Janus. His name means "doors", "gates".
He was the god of entry and exit, as well as any beginning, the new year, the beginning of the war, the first day of the month, the birth of the man Janus was depicted with keys, three hundred and sixty-five fingers (according to the number of days in a year) and with two faces, it meant that one face is turned to the past, the other to the future.
The Romans, like all ancient peoples, deified the forces of nature, worshiped trees and springs, animals and birds. Of the trees, most of all they revered the oak and the fig tree, among the animals - the wolf, among the birds - the eagle and the woodpecker.
Faun, whose cult was associated with the cult of the wolf, was considered the god of fields, forests and pastures, the patron saint of animals. At this festival, a goat was sacrificed to the Faun, and then the Luperk priests ran around the sanctuary, waving belts cut from the skin of the sacrificial goat and whipping women passing by, which was supposed to ensure their fertility. The faun was especially revered by the shepherds, as he helped protect the herd from wolves.
Silvan, the god of the forest and wildlife, was close to the Faun. His name comes from the word "silva" - "forest". Silvanus had no official cult, but was very popular among the people, especially among peasants and slaves. He was thanked for healing from illness, for unexpected good luck, for liberation from slavery. Silvanus was depicted in peasant clothes, he was accompanied by a goat and a dog.
Fone was the god of water sources. On his holiday - the fountain - the wells were decorated with flowers, and flower garlands were thrown into the springs. Fone, like Silvanus, was a deity of the common people: his servants, according to tradition, were recruited from slaves. The goddess Pomona patronized the ripening tree fruits; a sacred grove was dedicated to her.
The god of all kinds of changes - the change of seasons, the stages of ripening of fruits, the mood swings of a person - was Vertumn.
Among the gods that are directly related to the life and activities of man, the brothers Pilumn and Pikumn are known - the patrons of marriage and birth. In addition, it was believed that Pilumn invented the pestle for crushing grain, and Pikumn taught people to fertilize the fields with manure (his other name is Sterkulin, which means "dung").
Fortune was also originally the patroness of birth, later she was revered as the goddess of fate, happiness and good luck. Fortune was depicted standing on a ball or wheel - a symbol of the instability of happiness.
The Romans enjoyed special reverence for numerous deities who patronized the hearth. His main patroness was the goddess Vesta. The entrance to the house was dedicated to her (hence the “lobby”). In the temple of Vesta, a fire was constantly burning on the altar, which was extinguished on the first day of each year and immediately rekindled by rubbing the sacred wood. From this fire, a fire was lit in the hearths of all Roman curia - associations of several patrician - privileged - clans.
The unquenchable fire in the temple was supported by the priestesses of Vesta - Vestal Virgins. They were chosen from young girls and had to serve the goddess for thirty years: the first decade they were trained to serve, the second they served, the third they taught young vestals.
During these thirty years, the vestals had to observe chastity, violating the ban were walled up alive in the dungeon. At the end of the service, the priestess of Vesta could marry, but it was believed that the Vestal wife would bring misfortune to the house.
The hearth was also patronized by special deities - lares, they were in each house. Lares were asked for help at the most important events in the family: before marriage, during childbirth, in the event of the death of one of the household members. Lara monitored the observance of the correct relationships in the family, protected the slaves from the unjust wrath of the owners.
Lars also patronized good neighborly relations. Their sanctuaries were placed at the crossroads with as many entrances as there were dwellings located around this crossroads.
The worshipers of the Lares were slaves.
Lares are sometimes identified with penates. The Penates were also the guardians of the hearth, but they were mainly in charge of food supplies.
Just like Lares, each family had its penates. But, in addition, there were penates of the entire Roman people. According to legend, the image of these penates was brought from Troy by Aeneas, the founder of the Roman state. The image of the state penates was kept in the temple of Vesta, and only vestals and special priests could approach it. In addition to lares and penates, each person had his own patron spirit: men - a genius, women - a juno. (Unlike the goddess Juno, the patroness of all women, the Juno spirit patronized only one) Geniuses and junos of dead people became manas - benevolent deities, in which the souls of ancestors were revered. But if a person died a violent death or did not receive a proper burial, then his patron spirit could turn into an evil lemur (the prototype of later vampires).
A large place in the life of the ancient Romans was occupied by various divination and prophecy.
Fortune-telling was done by special priests - augurs, who interpreted the will of the gods in numerous ways by the flight of birds, by the entrails of animals, by thunder and lightning, etc.
There is a legend about the prophetess Sibyl, who could predict a thousand years in advance. She wrote her prophecies on palm leaves and compiled them into nine books. The Sibyl offered to buy these books to the Roman king Tarquinius, but he refused, wanting the prophetess to reduce the price. Then the Sibyl burned six books in front of Tarquinius, and he, without haggling, bought the remaining three.
In Rome, in the temple of Jupiter, three books of prophecies were actually kept, which were called the Sibylline Books. They were used until the 5th century AD.
At the heart of the worldview of the ancient Romans lay the idea that the gods ordained Rome to rule over the world. This contributed to the emergence of the cult of Rome itself and the formation of the so-called "Roman myth", reflecting the legendary Roman history. The plots of the "Roman myth" are divided into three groups by researchers. The first is connected with the foundation of the Roman state by the legendary hero Aeneas, the second - with the emergence of Rome itself and the so-called "time of the kings."
The famous German historian Oskar Jaeger wrote: “Later Roman writers exaggerate in their stories about the “time of the kings” (753-510 BC) the significance of a tiny state to the extreme. (...) Much in these stories is bright and attractive. In fact, in relation to these first centuries of Rome, it is possible to establish only very few events, and the development of the political and social life of Rome can only be traced in the most general terms.
Tradition names the names of seven successive Roman kings. Although some of them may have had historical prototypes, they are mostly mythological figures, gods take part in the legends about them.
Romulus - the legendary founder of Rome and the first of the Roman kings - was the son of the god Mars, and after his death he himself began to be revered in the form of the god Quirinus. Another king, Numa Pompilius, was married to the nymph of the stream Egeria and, on her advice, introduced most of the religious institutions of Rome. The penultimate of the seven kings, Servius Tullius, to whom state reforms are attributed, uniting the patricians and plebeians into a single Roman people and aimed at giving every Roman the opportunity to advance due to personal merit, and not origin, was the son of a lara and beloved of the goddess Fortuna.
The third group of plots of the "Roman myth" is connected with the establishment and early stage of the existence of the Roman Republic. These tales tell of heroes sacrificing themselves for the glory and prosperity of Rome. The Romans regarded such self-sacrifice not only as a manifestation of patriotism, but also as the fulfillment of the will of the gods, who destined Rome to dominate the world.
Therefore, most researchers classify the legends about the valiant Romans not as historical legends, but as myths. Over time, Greek culture began to penetrate into Rome, including Greek mythology. Many primordially Roman deities were identified with the Greek Olympian gods: Jupiter - with Zeus, Juno - with Hera, Minerva - with Athena, Vulcan - with Hephaestus, Diana - with Artemis, Cupid - with Eros, Venus - with Aphrodite.
Roman poets began to create works on the subjects of Greek mythology, sculptors to make copies of the famous Greek sculptures depicting the gods.
Jan Parandovsky writes: “In the end, all Greek mythology moved to Rome. (...) The clumsy Roman gods came to life, united in married couples, accepted as their own, all Greek legends. Greek mythology filled the void that blew from the harsh Roman religion.
At the end of the 1st century BC. e. in the political life of Rome there was a coup, the republic was replaced by an empire. Emperors began to identify themselves with gods, and empresses with goddesses. Soon emperors began to be deified officially. The first Roman god-emperor was Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). The "Roman myth", glorifying the republic, was pushed into the background at that time.
The Roman Empire fought numerous and usually victorious wars. Under her rule, she united a vast territory. But conquering and conquering various peoples, the Romans absorbed their culture, including religious beliefs and mythology.
In the end, a myriad of gods of various origins entered the Roman pantheon, the religion of the ancient Romans lost its integrity and originality and after a while was replaced by Christianity. Rome became the first center of the Christian world.
43. Wanderings of Aeneas
Aeneas is the hero of Greek and Roman mythology, the legendary founder of the Roman state.
At the turn of the VI-V centuries BC. e. Greek legends about Aeneas penetrated the Apennine Peninsula, where they merged with local legends. The legend of Aeneas acquired its final form in the poem "Aeneid", written in the second half of the 1st century BC. e. the great Roman poet Virgil. The mother of Aeneas was the goddess of love Aphrodite (in the Roman version - Venus), and the father was the Trojan Anchis, a descendant of the Phrygian king Dardanus, the son of Zeus himself.
Until the age of five, Aeneas was raised by nymphs, and then sent to Troy to his father. As an adult, Aeneas took part in the Trojan War. Homer in the Iliad names Aeneas among the most glorious Trojan heroes. When the victorious Greeks broke into Troy, Aeneas decided to fight to the last breath, but the gods appeared to him and ordered him to leave the doomed city in order to go in search of a new homeland, where he was destined to become the founder of a great state.
Aeneas obeyed the will of the gods and fled from the burning Troy, taking with him his wife Creusa, the young son of Ascanius, and carrying his old father on his back.
Aeneas, having safely passed the enemy detachments, got out of the city wall, but then he saw that Creusa was not with him. Aeneas hid the old man and the boy in a ravine, and he returned to Troy. But in vain he called his wife, running through the streets full of enemy soldiers, in vain he searched for Creusa near the burnt home. Creusa was no longer alive.
Suddenly, her shadow appeared before Aeneas and said prophetic words:
...you can't take Creusa away from here. (…) You will be in exile for a long time, roam the water expanses of the seas. Ido Hesperia you will reach the earth. (…) Happiness to you and the kingdom, and the royal family of the spouse There are prepared...
Filled with tears, Aeneas tried to hold the shadow of Creusa, but she slipped out of his hands and melted into the air.
Returning to the ravine where Anchises and Ascanius remained, Aeneas was surprised to find there, besides them, many other Trojans, men and women, who also managed to escape from the city. They all decided to go with Aeneas in search of a new homeland.
The Trojans unanimously undertook the construction of twenty ships. Soon, having looked for the last time at Troy lying in ruins, they set sail from their native shores and set off on an unknown path.
Old Anchises advised Aeneas to entrust himself to the will of fate and sail where the fair wind carries the ship. After some time, the ships of Aeneas sailed to Thrace. The Trojans went ashore, confident that they were destined to settle here.
Aeneas founded the city and named it after himself - Aenead. Wanting to make a sacrifice to the gods, he went to the nearest hill to break green branches to decorate the altar. But as soon as he began to break off the bush, drops of blood appeared on the breaks of the branches. Aeneas was frightened, but continued his work.
"Oh, Aeneas! Don't disturb me in my grave!"
Aeneas asked, trembling:
“I am Prince Polydorus, son of the Trojan king Priam. My father sent me to Thrace to protect me from the dangers of war, but the local king was seduced by the gold that I brought with me and murdered me villainously.
Aeneas returned to his companions and told them what he had seen and heard. The Trojans unanimously decided to leave the shore where the villainous murder had been committed and look for another place to settle. They solemnly honored the memory of Polydor, having performed the prescribed rites, raised the sails and set sail again.
This time, the Trojan ships stopped near the island of Delos, where the oracle of Apollo was located.
Aeneas prayed to God, then asked: “Oh, wise Apollo! Where should we sail? Where can we find shelter? As a sign that God heard him, the leaves of the laurel rustled in the sacred grove, the walls of the temple trembled, and a menacing rumble came from the ground. The Trojans fell on their faces, and a mysterious voice said:
... the one that for the first time from the tribe of ancestors The earth gave birth to you - the same joyful abundance Will welcome you back.
The Trojans thanked Apollo, but they did not know where to look for the land of their ancestors.
Old Anchises said: “Listen to me, noble Trojans! I heard from my grandfather that our distant ancestors in those ancient times, when there was still a desert valley on the site of Troy, arrived there from the island of Crete. Let us send our ships to Crete!” Filled with hope, the Trojans set out on their journey and landed on Crete three days later. They seemed to have reached the goal of their wanderings. The island was beautiful, its land fertile. The Trojans built the city, plowed the fields and sowed them with grain, Aeneas made laws.
But suddenly there was a drought, and then the plague began. The barely sprouted crops withered, people began to die from a terrible disease.
Aeneas was in despair. He wanted to return to Delos and pray to Apollo for deliverance from the disaster, but then in a dream the Penates appeared to him - the gods of his home - and said: “You misunderstood the words of the oracle. Your ancestral home, noble Aeneas, is not the island of Crete, but the Italian land, which is otherwise called Hesperia. Your distant ancestor was born there - the son of Zeus Dardanus.
Such a clear indication pleased Aeneas, and the Trojans set off again.
But now the sea became restless, and soon a storm raged at all. For three days, the ships of Aeneas were carried by the sea, and then washed up on the shores of the Strofadsky Islands, which were inhabited by monstrous harpies - birds of prey with female heads.
Aeneas and his companions went ashore, lit a fire and prepared food for themselves. But before they had time to start eating, the harpies swooped down in a cloud and devoured everything without a trace.
Then one of the harpies sat down on a ledge of a rock and shouted ominously: "When you get to blessed Italy, then there will be such a famine that you will gnaw at the tables on which the food lay."
Flapping its wings, the harpy flew away, and the blood of the Trojans froze in horror in their veins.
Struck by a gloomy prophecy, they raised the sails and hastened to leave the Strofadsky Islands. Aeneas sent his ships to the coast of Epirus, where the wise soothsayer Helen lived, and asked him: “Is it true that we are threatened with an unprecedented famine?” Gehlen replied: “The gods did not reveal this to me. But I know that after many trials you will reach the Italian land and find your homeland, happiness and glory there.
The Trojans roamed the sea for a long time, experienced many adventures, overcame many dangers. Once they got into a fierce storm and were forced to stop to repair ships on the coast of Libya, not far from the city of Carthage.
In Carthage, the beautiful queen Dido ruled. She was a widow, but continued to be faithful to her deceased husband. Aeneas and his companions appeared before the queen. And then the mother of Aeneas, Venus, surrounded him with a bright radiance and endowed him with such a brilliant beauty that Dido, once looking at him, could no longer look away. Dido invited the Trojans to her palace, arranged a sumptuous feast for them, and asked Aeneas to recount his adventures. While Aeneas was telling his story, his son, little Ascanius, was sitting on Dido's lap. In Askania's hands, a golden arrow came from somewhere, and he, playing, pricked the queen against the very heart. It was Cupid's arrow, which Venus imperceptibly slipped to the child - and Dido fell in love with Aeneas. Aeneas spent six months in Carthage, enjoying the love of the beautiful queen. Dido invited him to become her husband and king of Carthage. But then the gods sent their messenger, Mercury, to Aeneas.
Mercury said: “Alas, Aeneas! You forgot your purpose. But if you are ready to give up your own glory, then think about your son Ascanius. You must leave Italian lands to him as a legacy, his descendants are destined to become kings of a great state! Aeneas was ashamed and began to get ready for the road. The Trojans began to prepare the ships for sailing. Dido, seeing these preparations, realized that Aeneas would soon leave her, and began to beg him.
If I deserved anything good, there was something You are sweet in me, above me and the dying house Take pity when there is still room for requests, change your mind!
But Aeneas replied:
Never those services that count In a speech, you could have done a lot, I, the queen, will not deny () Stop torturing me and yourself with your reproaches! It is not of my own free will that I am sailing to Italy.
Dido learned that the gods command Aeneas to continue on his way. The queen asked him to wait at least a little so that she could get used to the thought of separation, and the kind-hearted Aeneas was already ready to give in, but the gods strengthened his spirit: just as the wind cannot crush a mighty oak, so Dido’s tears could not shake Aeneas’s determination, and he continued fees.
Everything around the queen was dressed in darkness. When she made a sacrifice to the gods, the sacred wine seemed to her blood, at night Dido heard the cries of an owl, reminiscent of a funeral song, and in a dream her late husband appeared to her and called to him.
Finally the day of parting came. As soon as dawn broke, the Trojans set sail from Carthage. Dido realized that from now on life would be only suffering for her, and decided to die. She ordered a high funeral pyre to be laid on the seashore, decorated it with flowers and fresh greenery, climbed on it - and pierced herself with a sword.
Aeneas saw from his ship a reflection of fire and black smoke rising to the sky ...
A few days later, the Trojans stopped where the Tiber River flows into the sea, and decided to rest on the shore. They settled down under a tall oak and began to dine on vegetables and wheat cakes. To make it more convenient to eat, the Trojans put vegetables on cakes, and after eating the vegetables, they ate the cakes themselves. Little Ascanius exclaimed. “Look! We ate the tables where the food lay!” And it became clear to everyone that the prophecy had been fulfilled and that the Trojans had finally reached Italy, which would become their new homeland. The Italian lands were ruled by the son of the forest god Faun, a king named Latin. He had a daughter, Lavinia, who was betrothed to Turna, the leader of the neighboring Rutul tribe.
One day, Latinus made a sacrifice to the gods under a high laurel. Lavinia stood next to the sacrificial fire. And suddenly the flame engulfed the girl, but did not cause her any harm, and on the head of Lavinia a crown flashed.
At night, his father Faun appeared in a dream to Latinus and ordered him to marry Lavinia to a stranger who would soon arrive on Italian soil.
This stranger turned out to be Aeneas. Latin gave him a daughter, and Aeneas began to rule Italy with Latin.
But the former fiance of Lavinia, Turnus, wanting to return the bride, began a war with Aeneas, which was not inferior in scale to the Trojan. If the history of Aeneas' search for Italy is compared with the Odyssey, then the description of his war with Turnn is called the "Roman Iliad".
In the end, Aeneas killed Turnus in a duel, but he himself went missing. According to one version, he drowned in the river, a friend - was taken by the gods to heaven.
Aeneas was succeeded by his son Ascanius (in Italy he received the Latin name Yul). Ascanius founded the city of Alba Longa, which became the capital of Italy.
The descendants of Aeneas ruled there for many centuries, until the city of Rome became the successor of Alba Longa.
44. THE FOUNDATION OF ROME
The king of Alba Longa, Procas Silvius, had two sons - the elder Numitor and the younger Amulius. Numitor was supposed to inherit his father's throne, but as soon as Procas Silvius died, Amulius plotted and forced his brother to abdicate.
Amulius became king, and Numitor became his subject. But there was no rest for the usurper tsar. He was afraid that the son of Numitor, having matured, would overthrow him from the throne and return the kingdom to his father. Amulius called his nephew to hunt - and killed him.
However, having committed this crime, Amulius did not find peace. Numitor is survived by a daughter, Rhea Sylvia. She grew up beautiful, suitors began to woo her, and Amulius thought that if Rhea Silvia marries and gives birth to a son, he will become the legitimate heir to his grandfather and lay claim to the throne.
Amulius decided to make sure that Rhea Silvia never married. Unmarried, according to custom, were to remain vestals - priestesses of the goddess Vesta. The goddess herself chose priestesses for herself. She showed a sign to special priests, and they interpreted the will of the goddess and announced it to the people.
Amulius threatened the priests to declare Rhea Sylvia the chosen one of Vesta, and the girl became a vestal, taking a vow of chastity.
But the gods have prepared a different fate for her.
The Temple of Vesta stood on a hill. One day, Rhea Silvia went down to the Tiber to collect water for a temple sacrifice. When she was returning, a strong thunderstorm broke out, and the girl took refuge from her in a cave. Suddenly, in a flash of lightning, under the peals of thunder, the god of war Mars appeared in front of her in sparkling armor. He said to the shocked girl: “Rejoice, noble Rhea Sylvia! The gods have ordained you to be my wife."
A year later, Rhea Silvia gave birth to two twin boys. And although she solemnly swore that the father of her sons was the great Mars and, having become his wife, she fulfilled the will of the gods, Amulius ordered to do with Rhea Sylvia as they usually did with Vestals who violated their vow of chastity. The unfortunate woman was immured in a dungeon, and she died there. Amulius ordered the newborn twins to be drowned in the Tiber.
It was spring, the waters of the Tiber rose high and flooded the banks. The servants of Amulius, to whom he entrusted the evil deed, took pity on the innocent babies and, instead of throwing them into the river, they put them in an oak trough and let him into the creek formed on the shore.
As soon as the royal servants left, the water began to subside. Soon the Tiber returned to its banks, and the trough in which the babies were lying turned out to be in a dry place, under a tall fig tree.
Not far from this fig tree was a she-wolf's lair. She had just whelped and fed her wolf cubs. Suddenly, the plaintive cry of human cubs reached her ears. The she-wolf got out of the den, found the crying twins and, seeing that they were as small and helpless as her cubs, began to come to them every day and feed them with her milk.
One day, when Rhea Silvia's sons were suckling a she-wolf, a shepherd named Faustul passed by. He saw the she-wolf feeding the twins and thought: “The wild beast took pity on these children, so shouldn’t I, a man, take pity on them?” When the twins were full and the she-wolf ran away, the shepherd took the boys in his arms and carried them to his hut.
The day before, Faustul's wife was relieved of her burden, but the child, barely born, died. The shepherd said to his wife: "The gods took our son, but sent us two others." These kind people guessed that the twins were the sons of Rhea Silvia, condemned to death by a cruel king, they left them and began to pass them off as their children. The twins were named Romulus and Remus.
Years passed. Romulus and Remus led a peaceful life as shepherds, grazing their flocks with their named father. When they became adults, Faustul said to them: “I and my wife love you like our sons, but the time has come to tell you the truth: your father is the great Mars, and your mother is Rhea Sylvia, daughter of Numitor, the legitimate king of Alba Longa, overthrown by his cruel brother."
Having learned about their royal origin, Romulus and Remus decided to go to Alba Longa in order to punish the usurper and restore the justice he had violated.
Saying goodbye to those whom they previously considered parents, the brothers went to Numitor. He at first sight recognized in the twins the sons of Rhea Sylvia, his grandchildren. Romulus and Remus said to their grandfather: "Give us weapons and people loyal to you, and we will avenge Amulius for all his crimes."
At the head of a small detachment given to them by Numitor, the brothers broke into the royal palace. The confused guards could not detain them, Amulius tried to flee, but was killed.
Romulus and Remus proclaimed their grandfather, old Numitor, king, and the people of Alba Longa joyfully welcomed him as their rightful ruler.
Numitor asked Romulus and Remus. "What do you want as a reward?" The brothers replied: “Give us the lands along the banks of the Tiber, where we almost died as children, but were saved by a good she-wolf and a generous shepherd.”
Numitor fulfilled the desire of the brothers and sent with them those inhabitants of Alba Longa who wanted to move to a new place. The brothers chose seven hills to build the future capital on them, but then a dispute arose between them, whose name to call her - Romulus or Remus, and which of them would become king there.
Finally they decided: "Let the gods judge us."
The brothers climbed two hills and began to wait for a sign. It didn’t take long to wait: the flapping of wings was heard in the sky - and six kites flew over Remus’s head, and twelve kites flew over Romulus’s head. And everyone who saw it shouted: “Romulus was chosen by the gods! Twice as many birds flew over it.”
Romulus harnessed two oxen to the plow and plowed a deep furrow, the border of the future city.
The wounded Rem mockingly said: “You erected mighty fortifications!” - and stepped over the furrow.
Then Romulus fell into great anger, drew his sword - and struck his brother in the heart. Remus fell dead, and Romulus said: "So be everyone who invades my city by force!" The city was named after Romulus - Roma. In Russia it is called Rome.
In the 1st century BC e. Roman mathematician and astrologer Tarucius tried to calculate the exact date of the founding of Rome based on the position of the stars. He did it - April 23, 753 BC. e.
The legend of Romulus and Remus was described by the Roman writer Diocles, the author of the first book on the founding of Rome, who lived, presumably, in the 3rd century BC. e. The famous Greek historian of the 1st century A.D. Plutarch wrote about this book: “Some consider it a work of a fabulous, mythical nature. Nevertheless, there is no reason not to trust her, seeing what fate does, and taking into account that Rome would never have been so powerful if there had not been a will from above, a will for which there is (...) nothing impossible " .
45. THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN
Rome was an impregnable fortress, and the Romans were a harsh and warlike people. They jealously guarded their land, but most of them had neither wives nor children, and therefore the city had no future.
The king of Rome, Romulus, equipped an embassy to neighboring nations in order to marry brides for the Romans, but the neighbors did not trust the Romans, considered them strangers who had come from nowhere, and no one agreed to give them their daughters as wives.
Then Romulus decided to resort to cunning. He arranged sports games in Rome and invited the Sabines, a mountain tribe whose women were famous for their beauty, to them. The Sabines accepted the invitation and came to Rome. Many brought their wives, daughters and sisters with them.
Romulus warned the Romans to take a closer look at the girls, and each would outline for himself the one that he liked best.
When the games were in full swing and the Sabines, not noticing anything around, followed what was happening in the arena, Romulus gave the agreed sign, taking off and putting on his purple cloak again. At this sign, the Romans picked up the Sabine women in their arms and rushed to run. (It is believed that it was then that the custom that still exists, according to which the husband brings the newlywed into his house in his arms, arose.) The girls screamed and resisted, the Sabines, stunned by surprise, tried to recapture them from the kidnappers, but could not and were forced to return home, leaving their daughters and sisters in Rome.
Wanting to comply with generally accepted moral rules, the Romans tried to kidnap only unmarried girls, but among them, by chance, was one husband's wife, Hersilia, whom Romulus himself took as his wife.
Romulus addressed the kidnapped Sabine women with a speech, explaining to them that violence was a necessary measure, and assured that, having settled in the houses of the Romans, they would enjoy honor and universal respect, and the Romans would become good husbands to them. The kidnapped resigned themselves to their fate and agreed to marry the kidnappers.
The Romans began to establish family life, the Sabine women, as befits good wives, gave birth to children and kept house.
But the Sabines, having lost their daughters and sisters, felt insulted. The Sabine king Titus Tatius gathered an army and went to war against the Romans. The onslaught of the Sabines was so powerful and swift that the Romans had to retreat and take cover behind the walls of Rome.
The Roman army was led by the commander Spirius Tarpeus, who had a daughter, Tarpeia. Once Tarpeya saw the Sabine king Titus Tatius from the city wall. The girl was struck by the beauty and article of the enemy commander and fell in love with him so much that she decided to betray her city.
In Rome, the anniversary of its founding was celebrated, and on that day a truce was declared. Tarpeia, taking advantage of the opportunity to leave the city, went to the enemy camp and handed over the keys to Rome to Titus Tatius.
Titus Tatius considered Tarpey's act unseemly and ordered her to be executed, but nevertheless took advantage of her betrayal - and the Sabines entered Rome.
A bloody battle began. The Sabine women watched in horror as their husbands fought their fathers and brothers, weeping and wringing their hands. But the wife of Romulus Hersilia exclaimed: “This is not the time to indulge in despair! We must stop the bloodshed!” The women loosened their hair as a sign of mourning and, taking small children in their arms, rushed between the combatants.
Plutarch wrote: “From all sides appeared those who fled with screams and cries, through weapons and corpses to their husbands and fathers, like frenzied, kidnapped daughters of the Sabines, (...) they called the most gentle names either the Sabines or the Romans.” The Sabine women shouted: “Stop! Better turn your wrath against us, for we are the cause of discord!” Opponents were confused - and lowered their weapons.
And the women already greeted their fathers and brothers, held out their children to them, the Sabines took their grandchildren and nephews in their arms.
The stern Romans were moved, seeing the universal joy, and both peoples concluded eternal peace between themselves.
46. BROTHERS HORATIO
After the death of Romulus, six kings were replaced on the Roman throne. This ancient period in the history of Rome, according to tradition, is called "royal", although most historians consider both the kings themselves and the stories about their reign to be legends, only to some extent reflecting the real processes of the formation of the Roman state.
The third king after Romulus was Tullus Hostilius. He is credited with subordinating Rome to ancient Alba Longa.
The rulers of Alba Longa jealously followed the rise of Rome, and the Romans, conscious of their own strength and believing in the glorious future of their city, treated the old capital with disdain. Between the two cities, with varying success, there was a long war for supremacy in the Italian lands.
Finally, Tullus Hostilius and the king of Alba Longa, whose name the legend does not name, decided to end the war by arranging a duel between the best warriors of Rome and Alba Longa, and depending on its outcome, forever establish the superiority of one city over another.
To participate in the duel, the Romans chose three twin brothers from the glorious family of Horatii. Among the Albanians, they found worthy opponents - three young men from the Curiaci family. They were the same age as the Horatii and also twin brothers.
Horace and Curiatii knew each other from childhood, they were bound by bonds of friendship, the sister of the Horatii was the bride of one of the Curiatii. But Horace, as true Romans, obeying the dictates of duty, rejected friendly and kindred feelings and were determined to defend the glory of Rome at any cost.
In the face of both troops - Roman and Alban - the opponents converged on the battlefield, three against three.
Tullus Hostilius and the Alban king gave a sign, and the duel began. Horatii and Curiatii were equally strong and courageous, but happiness leaned towards the side of the Albanians: the two Horatii brothers, pierced by swords, fell, and the last of them, F.A. Bruni fought one against three. The Albans, already confident in victory, rejoiced, the Romans in despair expected that the last Horace was about to die and Rome would have to submit to Alba Longa.
But Horace, seeing that now the honor and glory of his native city depended on him alone, fought with triple courage and threw three of his opponents to the ground lifeless.
Horace returned in triumph to Rome. He walked ahead of the troops, and in front of him they carried his trophies - weapons, armor and cloaks of the defeated curiatii. The Romans stood along the streets and greeted the hero with joyful cries.
Suddenly a girl ran out of the crowd. It was the sister of the Horatii, the bride of one of the Curiatii. Her hair was loose as a sign of mourning, she sobbed and wringed her hands, and when she saw the bloody cloak of her fiancé among the trophies of her brother, she screamed loudly. The girl called the deceased affectionate names and cursed her brother who killed him.
Horace exclaimed: “Come to your senses, sister! You mourn the enemy of Roman glory!” The girl replied: “It would be better if Rome lost its glory than my beloved died!” Then Horace drew his sword, still wet with blood, and plunged it into his sister's chest. The girl fell lifeless, and Horace continued his triumphal procession.
Under Roman law, killing any free Roman was punishable by death. The murdered girl was a Roman, and the court sentenced Horace to death.
But all the Romans unanimously rebelled against the verdict, and the judges, obeying public opinion, pardoned Horace. Since then, the laws of Rome have affirmed the right of Roman citizens to appeal to the popular assembly with an appeal against a court decision.
As a sign of cleansing from sin, Horace passed under a log fixed over the road. Subsequently, in the Horatian family for a long time there was a tradition of annual sacrifice to Juno, performed in an area called "Sister log". Some researchers believe that the legend of the murdered sister arose only in order to explain this tradition, which came from nowhere.
47. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
The last of the legendary Roman kings was Tarquinius, nicknamed the Proud. According to legend, it was his despotism and cruelty that led to the collapse of royal power in Rome.
Tarquinius was married to the daughter of the previous king, Servius Tullius, and decided to seize power by force, overthrowing his father-in-law from the throne, Tarquinius' wife participated in the conspiracy.
Once, when Servius Tullius was sitting in the Senate, conspirators broke in, led by Tarquinius, who had previously dressed in royal clothes. He gave a sign to his accomplices - and the old king was killed. Tarquinius ordered his body to be thrown out into the street.
Tarquinius' wife hurried to the Senate to congratulate her husband on his successful seizure of power. Near the building of the Senate, the horses harnessed to her chariot stopped: in their path lay the corpse of Servius Tullius. But the wife of Tarquinia ordered the coachman to drive - and moved over the corpse of her father.
The shocked Romans called this street Villainous.
Tarquinius was distinguished by arrogance, was unjust and ruled Rome despotically. Remembering how he himself came to the throne, Tarquinius constantly feared a conspiracy and brutally cracked down on anyone who incurred his suspicions.
Once, at his command, the noble Roman Mark Junius was executed along with his eldest son. But the youngest son of the executed, Lucius, still quite a child, Tarquinius spared and raised along with his sons.
However, as Lucius grew older, Tarquinius began to fear him. Meanwhile, Lucius, in order not to suffer the fate of his father and older brother, pretended to be weak-minded and even received the nickname "Brutus", which means "fool".
However, Tarquinius was increasingly overcome by unkind forebodings. He wanted to address the famous Oracle of Delphi with a question about the future fate of power in Rome, but, not daring to leave Rome even for a short time, he sent his sons to Delphi. They were accompanied by Lucius Junius.
Appearing before the oracle, the young men asked who would have power in Rome. The oracle replied: “To the one of you who kisses his mother first.”
The sons of Tarquinius took the oracle's answer literally and hurried home.
Lucius, knowing that the oracle usually speaks allegorically, pretended to stumble, fall and kiss the earth - the mother of all living things.
Some time later, the eldest son of Tarquinius was inflamed with an unholy passion for the wife of a noble Roman, the beautiful and virtuous Lucretia. Knowing that her husband was not at home, he appeared under the guise of a guest and seized Lucrezia by force.
The rapist was sure that the woman would not want publicity and his crime would remain hidden. But the noble Lucretia called her husband, as well as her father, and, asking to bring two faithful family friends as witnesses, Lucretia herself announced her shame. Lucrezia said: “My body is defiled, but my soul is innocent. I do not recognize my sin, but I do not release myself from punishment. Let no one, having lost honor, live, referring to the example of Lucretia! And she plunged the dagger into her heart.
One of the witnesses to this was Lucius Junius. While her husband and father wept over the unfortunate body, Lucius removed a bloody dagger from her wound and swore on it that Lucretia would be avenged.
The news of the crime of the Tarquinian son and the death of the noble Lucretia quickly spread throughout the city. The cup of patience of the Romans overflowed, and they rebelled.
Lucius Julius led the uprising.
Tarquinius and his family were expelled, and a republic was proclaimed in Rome.
From now on, the Roman people decided to elect two consuls annually, entrusting them with the supreme power over Rome.
The first consuls were Lucius Junius and Lucretia's husband Callatinus.
48. TALES OF THE VALIANT ROMANS
The Romans highly valued personal prowess and the ability to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the fatherland. The legendary times of the first years of the Roman Republic gave rise to legends about heroes who became an ideal for many generations of Romans and European peoples who inherited their culture.
Tsar Tarquinius, being expelled by the Roman people, did not accept the loss of power. He made an alliance with the Etruscan king Porsena and started a war against the Roman Republic.
Porsena brought a large, strong army to the aid of Tarquinia.
The approaches to Rome were protected by a natural barrier - a wide, full-flowing Tiber. The only bridge across the river was guarded by a detachment of Roman soldiers.
Seeing a whole army heading for the bridge, the Roman detachment faltered and was ready to retreat under the protection of the city walls.
And only one of the warriors, named Horace Cocles, did not lose courage. He blocked the way for his comrades who were ready to flee and exclaimed: “Stop! We have many enemies before us, but we will not let them enter Rome. We are too few to defend the bridge, so let's destroy it so the enemy can't use it!" And he was the first to rush to cut the piles of the bridge. Others followed suit.
But the enemies were already very close. Then Horace Cocles and two of his comrades came out to meet them and stood shoulder to shoulder. The three of them repelled the enemy onslaught while the rest of the warriors destroyed the bridge. When it was almost destroyed, Horace Cocles ordered two comrades to move to another, safe, shore - and he was left alone.
He shouted, addressing the Porsena warriors: “Pitiful slaves! You are obedient to the arrogant king and you do not know the sweetness of freedom! We have tasted it, and we will not allow anyone to take away this priceless gift from us! At this time, the bridge behind Horace Cocles collapsed, and he was cut off from the city by a stream of water. Porsena's warriors raised their bows, and a cloud of arrows flew at the brave hero. But Horace Cocles jumped into the water, swam unharmed across the Tiber and joined his squad.
In memory of the feat of Horace Cocles, his statue was subsequently erected in Rome.
Porsena realized that he would not succeed in taking Rome by storm, and began a long siege. Enemies surrounded the city from all sides. In Rome, food supplies began to come to an end; the Romans were threatened with famine.
Then a noble Roman youth named Gaius Mucius decided to sneak into the enemy camp and kill Porsena, believing that the army, left without a leader, would lift the siege.
Gaius Mucius appeared before the Senate and announced his decision. The fathers of the city approved of his bold plan, and when this became known in the city, three hundred Roman youths swore that if Gaius Mucius could not fulfill his plan and died, then all of them - one by one - would repeat his attempt until one of them will not kill Porsena and save Rome.
Under the cover of darkness, Gaius Mucius swam across the Tiber and found himself in the camp of enemies. Morning has come. Revival reigned in the army of Porsena: on this day, the soldiers were supposed to receive a salary. Gaius Mucius, not noticed by anyone, mingled with the crowd and, together with everyone, went to where Porsena and the military treasurer had already begun to issue money to the soldiers.
Gaius Mucius did not know Porsena by sight and mistook the treasurer for him - a man with a majestic posture and in rich clothes. Approaching the treasurer closely, Gaius Mucius drew his sword - and hit him in the heart.
Gaius Mucius was immediately seized and disarmed. The brave young man appeared before Porsena, he was not afraid of death and only regretted that blind fate sent his sword past the intended target.
Porsena asked Gaius Mucius who he was and by whom he had been sent.
Gaius Mucius replied: “I am a Roman citizen and have come here to kill you. If not for my unfortunate mistake, you would already be dead.
Porsena, wishing to frighten Gaius Mucius with a cruel execution, ordered a fire to be lit.
But when the fire flared up, Gaius Mucius stretched out his right hand and fearlessly put it into the flame.
He said to the king: “See how little those who defend their freedom value their bodies. I will die, but others will come to replace me. Neither death nor torment will frighten us, and, in the end, you will be destroyed, arrogant king! Shocked, Porsena ordered Gaius Mucius to be dragged away from the fire and said: “You have treated yourself more cruelly than I would have done. Even though you are my enemy, I am ready to praise your courage!” Porsena released Gaius Mucius, and soon lifted the siege of Rome and made peace with the Romans. Tarquinius, having lost the support of an ally, was forced to abandon further struggle against the Roman Republic and died in exile.
Gaius Mucius, who lost his right hand, received the nickname Scaevola, which means "left-handed". This nickname became a generic name, and many generations of the descendants of Gaius Mucius bore it with pride.
Rome flourished.
But one day a huge abyss suddenly opened up in its central square. Every day it grew larger and larger, threatening to engulf the entire city.
The soothsayers announced that the Romans would save Rome if they threw their main property into the abyss.
The Romans took all the gold and silver that was in the city to the abyss and threw it down, but the abyss continued to grow.
Then a brave young man named Curtius exclaimed: “The main asset of Rome is the valiant Romans!” He donned battle armor, took up a weapon, mounted a horse and threw himself into the abyss.
Its edges immediately closed, swallowing the valiant Curtius.
So Roman valor again saved Rome.
49. Cupid and Psyche
The story of Cupid and Psyche is of Greek origin, but is best known in the presentation of the Roman writer of the 2nd century AD - Apuleius. It is included as an insert novel in his famous novel The Golden Ass. The character of the novel, an old maid, before starting to tell this story, says: "I know many interesting tales of the good old time." Thus, Apuleius emphasizes the folklore, folk origins of the legend of Cupid and Psyche.
The gods Apuleius calls them by Roman names: Cupid, Venus, Jupiter, but the name Psyche is Greek and means "soul". In later times, the story of Cupid and Psyche was interpreted as an allegory of the wanderings of the human soul, seeking to merge with love.
In a certain country there lived a king and a queen. They had three beautiful daughters, and the youngest - Psyche - was so good that she surpassed Venus herself in charm.
The goddess was annoyed at the mortal beauty and decided to punish her severely. Venus called her son, the god of love, Cupid, and told him: "Make it so that Psyche falls in love with the most insignificant of people and would be unhappy with him all her life."
Cupid flew to fulfill his mother's orders, but everything did not turn out the way Venus wanted. Seeing Psyche, Cupid was struck by her beauty, and the beautiful princess, unaware of this, wounded the love of the god of love himself. Cupid decided that the beauty should become his wife, and began to ward off all suitors from her.
The king and queen were perplexed: the two eldest daughters had already successfully married, and Psyche, despite her beauty, still lived in her parents' house and not a single suitor wooed her.
The king turned to the oracle, and the oracle announced (of course, at the instigation of Cupid) that the princess was destined for an unusual fate, he ordered Psyche to be dressed in a wedding dress, taken to a high mountain and left there, waiting for her unknown spouse.
The king and queen grieved for a long time, but did not dare to disobey the will of the gods and did everything as the oracle ordered.
The unfortunate Psyche, in her wedding attire, found herself alone on the top of a mountain. She looked around in horror, expecting some kind of monster to appear at any moment.
But suddenly a light, gentle breeze, Zephyr, flew up, picked up Psyche, carried her from an unpleasant rock into a green valley and lowered her onto silky grass.
Nearby grew a shady grove, and among the trees stood a white marble palace. Seeing that so far nothing bad had happened to her, the princess cheered up and wanted to take a closer look at the palace. The doors of their own accord swung open before her, and the princess, timidly, went inside.
Never before had Psyche seen such luxury. The walls shone with gold and silver, the ceiling was made of ivory, and the floor, which she trampled underfoot, was made of precious stones.
Suddenly, a friendly voice was heard from somewhere: “Hello, princess! Be the host here."
The whole day Psyche walked around the palace, but she could not go around all its rooms. Invisible servants accompanied the princess, fulfilling her every desire, as soon as she had time to think about it, and in the evening, tired, Psyche went to bed, and under the cover of darkness, Cupid descended on her bed. Psyche did not see, but only felt her unknown husband, but, nevertheless, fell in love with him passionately. In the morning, before dawn, Cupid withdrew to come again when it got dark.
Psyche was happy in her luxurious palace, with her beloved, although unknown to her husband. Only one thing worried her: she knew that her parents and sisters were grieving, considering her dead.
One night, Psyche said to Cupid: “My beloved husband! I cannot be calm and happy when my family is in sorrow. Let me send them word that I am alive and well.”
But Cupid replied, “It’s better not to do this, so as not to bring on a big trouble.”
Psyche did not dare to insist, but from that day on she became sad and thoughtful, and wept, even indulging in her husband's caresses.
Cupid, unable to see his beloved wife in sorrow, said: “I will fulfill your desire. See your sisters, but be careful - they may give you bad advice."
He sent the Zephyrs for the sisters of Psyche, and they brought them on their wings to the palace.
When they came to their senses after traveling by air and saw that their younger sister was alive and well, the sisters were very happy. But when Psyche told them how happy she was, led them through the palace and showed them her riches, envy woke up in their hearts.
When the sisters began to question her about her husband, the simple-hearted Psyche replied that her husband was kind and affectionate, and, apparently, young and handsome, although she could not say for sure, because he visits her only under cover of darkness.
Here the sisters were filled with even greater envy, since one of them had a husband as old and bald as a gourd, and the other was crouched with rheumatism and was constantly smeared with stinking ointment.
Returning home, the sisters did not even tell their parents that Psyche was alive, and made up an insidious plan to ruin her happiness.
Soon Psyche again wanted to see her sisters, and they, like last time, flew to visit her on the wings of Zephyrs.
Seeing Psyche, the sisters depicted feigned grief on their faces and exclaimed: “Oh, unfortunate! Your husband is a disgusting and vicious snake. The local farmers have often seen how he crawls on his belly across the river and hides in your palace. Watch out! One day he will sting you - and you will die a terrible death! And they both wept loudly.
Frightened and bewildered, Psyche asked, "What am I to do?" The sisters said: "Hide a sharp knife under the bed, and when your husband comes to you tonight, kill him."
The insidious sisters returned home, leaving Psyche in fear and sorrow.
On reflection, she doubted the words of the sisters and decided, before killing her husband, to look at him to make sure that he really was a snake. She filled the lamp with oil and hid it near the bed.
At night, Cupid, as usual, came to the bed of Psyche. When he fell asleep, Psyche slowly got up, lit a lamp and, trembling with horror, looked at her husband. What were her amazement and joy when, instead of a disgusting snake, she saw the golden-haired god of love.
Psyche's hand trembled, the lamp tilted, and a drop of hot oil fell on the sleeping man's shoulder. Cupid immediately woke up. Seeing Psyche with a lamp in her hands, he exclaimed in anger and grief: “You listened to the advice of your envious sisters and ruined our happiness. I could punish you severely, but I will punish you only by separation from me.
He flapped his wings and flew away.
The unfortunate Psyche was left alone, weeping bitterly and cursing her gullibility. Then she left the luxurious palace and went to roam the world in search of her husband.
Cupid, meanwhile, flew to the chamber of his mother Venus. His burned shoulder was in great pain, he moaned loudly and complained.
Venus was angry with her son, who, without her knowledge, dared to marry the one whom she wished evil, but the goddess was even more angry with Psyche. Venus strictly forbade the gods and people to help the unfortunate, to give her shelter and comfort.
Psyche wandered for a long time, rejected by everyone, and finally came to the hall of Venus.
The goddess met her with abuse and ridicule. She said that Psyche was worthy of being only a servant, and immediately gave her a job: she mixed millet, barley, poppy and lentils into one pile and ordered to separate one from the other.
Psyche began to cry, not even daring to start this endless work, but the ant took pity on her. He summoned his industrious people, and the ants quickly and well completed the task of Venus.
Then the goddess ordered Psyche to go to the grove where golden-fleeced sheep grazed and bring their wool. But the rams were angry and pugnacious and would not let anyone near them. Psyche stopped on the bank of a stream, not daring to approach the grazing herd.
But then the riverside reeds rustled and said: “Wait until noon. The sheep will fall asleep, and you will go through the grove and find many tufts of their wool, entangled in the branches of bushes and trees.
Psyche listened to the advice, and brought Venus a whole armful of golden wool.
But the goddess did not relent and ordered Psyche to bring water from a spring gushing on top of a sheer cliff.
When Psyche with a crystal vessel in her hands stood at the foot of the rock and looked with despair at the impregnable peak, an eagle flew by. He picked up a crystal vessel and, rising on his wings to the top of the rock, scooped up water from the source.
Annoyed, Venus came up with a new task: she ordered Psyche to go underground to the kingdom of death, ask his mistress Proserpina for a casket and, without opening it, bring it to Venus.
The miserable Psyche thought that it would be easier to die than to complete this task. She climbed a high tower to throw herself down from it and put an end to her torment. Her grief was so great that the cold stones from which the tower was built were imbued with pity for her. They spoke and showed Psyche the way to the underworld, teaching them to bribe the carrier across the river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead with two coins and appeasing the dog guarding the entrance to the underworld with two pieces of bread.
Proserpina gave Psyche a chest. Psyche remembered that she was not supposed to look into it, but she could not control her curiosity. As soon as she got out of the underworld into the light, she slightly opened the lid.
In the casket was a dream like death. He enveloped Psyche in a black mist, she fell to the ground and fell asleep.
In the meantime, Cupid's burned shoulder healed, and along with the pain, his anger at Psyche passed. He found her, immersed in an enchanted sleep, and woke her with a kiss. Psyche told her husband how cruelly Venus oppressed her, and Cupid promised that from now on this would end.
He flew to Jupiter himself and began to ask him to establish peace between his mother and wife.
Jupiter called Venus and said to her: “Oh, the most beautiful! Do not complain that your son chose not a goddess, but a mortal, as his wife. I will give her immortality, and she will equal the gods. He filled the goblet with ambrosia - the drink of the gods - and gave it to Psyche to drink.
Psyche became immortal, like her husband. The gods sang praises to her beauty and good disposition, Venus had to reconcile herself and recognize Psyche as her daughter-in-law.
Soon Cupid and Psyche had a daughter, whose name is Pleasure.
The love story of Cupid and Psyche served as the basis for many works of art - sculptures, paintings, poems and plays. In European literature, the most famous transcription of this plot is the poetic story of the French poet of the 17th century, J. La Fontaine. Russian poet of the XVIII century I.F. Bogdanovich also created a poem about Cupid and Psyche. He called his poem "Darling", literally and at the same time very figuratively translating the name "Psyche" into Russian.
Jupiter, shaking smart head, Amur gave the charter, By the force of the old rights, So that the age is captivated by spiritual beauty And Darling would always be his couple.
I propose to get acquainted with the ten most common myths related to the history of Dr. Rome.
All these myths were once popularized through cinema and literature.
1. Nero played the harp while Rome burned.
Modern historians believe that, in fact, Nero was not in Rome when the fire started. The fire started in shops with flammable goods, although later Christians were blamed for this (this began new persecutions against them). Nero was in Antium when the fire started, and when he heard about it, he immediately went to Rome to help. According to Tacitus: "The population was looking for a scapegoat and spread rumors about Nero's involvement. Nero found the guilty in a sect called Christians. He ordered that Christians be thrown to be eaten by dogs, and some were tortured and burned".
2. All gladiators were men
In fact, women could also be gladiators (they were called gladiatricians or gladiatrix). The first mention of gladiatricians refers to the reign of Nero (37-78 AD). There are also indications in earlier documents that they may have existed earlier. The denunciation of female gladiators dates back to the Flavian and Trajan eras and can be found in Juvenal's Satire VI, which states that female gladiators were typical upper-class thrill seekers. Emperor Severus banned the performance of female gladiators after 200 AD, but this ban was ignored.
Caesar's last words were "And thou also," transcribed (in Greek) by Suetonius as Και συ Τέκνον (kai su teknon). These words were spoken to Brutus, as a result of which Shakespeare invented the phrase "And you Brute". The meaning of Caesar's words remains unknown, but it is logical to assume that they meant "You will be next" - the words spoken to the killer. Caesar was bilingual (Greek and Latin), and the Greek language dominated Rome of that era. That is, it is worth assuming that his last words were spoken in Greek.
4. Sprinkling salt of Carthage
This is a very popular misconception that Rome, having defeated Carthage, sprinkled salt on its land so that nothing would grow on it. In fact, this is a myth of the 20th century. The Romans, having captured Carthage, wanted to go into every house, either by capturing people as slaves, or by killing them. They burned Carthage and left only ruins. This led to the loss of a significant amount of information about Carthage, which now makes its study more laborious.
5. The Romans wore togas
When we talk about the Romans, we always think of men in togas. But in reality, the toga was only an official element of clothing - to say that the Romans always wore togas is the same as saying that all the English wear top hats. Juvenalia says: "There are many places in Italy where, in truth, men die without ever wearing a toga".
Today we use the term plebeians when we talk about members of the lower classes, but in Rome the plebeians were the majority of the population (as opposed to the patricians, who were the privileged class). Plebeians could be, and very often were, wealthy people - but wealth did not change their class affiliation.
7. The Romans spoke Latin
In fact, the Romans spoke a form of Latin called Vulgar Latin, which is different from the Classical Latin that we often associate with them (Classical Latin is what we study in universities). Classical Latin was used only as an official language. In addition, the inhabitants of the Eastern Roman Empire spoke Greek from the 3rd century BC. AD, until Greek speech supplanted Latin as the official language.
A common myth about the Romans says that they ate at feasts to their fill, and then went to a room called a vomitorium to vomit food there and then continue the feast. But this is a mirph - vomitories were only passages to seats in the amphitheaters, and allowed thousands of Romans to take their seats in a few minutes. Vomitoria is shown in the photo (see above)
The BBC has created a wonderful series "Rome" that covers many periods of the Roman Empire. But unfortunately, the good name of one of the main characters, Atia (Octavian's mother and Caesar's niece), was tarnished in the series. She is shown as a promiscuous, selfish schemer and lover of Mark Antony. In fact, she was a worthy woman, famous in Roman society.
Contrary to popular belief, emperors did not raise or lower their thumbs as a signal for a gladiator to kill his enemy. The emperor (and only the emperor) showed an "open" or "closed" hand - if the palm was open, it meant "save his life", if closed - "kill him". If a gladiator killed his opponent before the emperor gave the signal, this was regarded as murder, since only the gladiator had the right to sentence to death. In the above image, we see a display of this myth.
Text in original.
come down to us legends and myths of ancient Rome, located as literary works at the intersection of mythology and religion in terms of semantic load, were primarily aimed at maintaining politics, civic duty and the moral foundations of society. It is quite difficult to talk about the most ancient myths of Rome, because they were accessible only to the priestly class and have come down to us in the form of "Indigitaments" - a collection of priestly legends, interpretations and legends. Priests refracted any events of real life through the canons of this book and reported to the ruling elite in the form of predictions and prophecies.
The first legends of ancient Rome
Undoubtedly, one of the first legends and tales of Ancient Rome, which have come down to our days, and which have undergone minimal Hellenistic influence, can be considered the legend of the creation of Rome. Today it is one of the most famous and well known to all history buffs. After obtaining a protectorate over Greece and its colonies, the Roman gods begin to be identified with the Greek and the importance of the priests of public life, and their influence on the republican senate falls sharply. However, if the gods of Ancient Greece were more part of the spiritual culture, then in Rome they become an integral part of everyday life.
Many researchers of the cults of Antiquity attribute this increase in influence on the everyday side of existence to closer contacts with, where it was impossible to even eat without mentioning the divine principle in their ruler, the pharaoh. Without divine blessing, agricultural work did not begin in Rome. Without a visit to the oracle, interpreting the disposition or opposition of the gods, no deal was made. From the beginning of the imperial period, all the supreme dictators, and then the emperors, were the earthly vicegerents of the gods, heroes and, in some unscrupulous way, the sons of religious cults. Of course, such an influence could not but be reflected in the legends and myths of ancient Rome.
Greek influence in mythology can be seen in the penetration of Hellenistic oral histories in. True, this symbiosis was accompanied by the Romanization of the Greek religion. Zeus was renamed Jupiter, Aphrodite became Venus, and Ares became Mars. However, this influence did not affect the most ancient Roman legends, in particular the legends about Romulus and Remus. However, this is easily explained by the fact that the Roman calendar was conducted from the creation of the capital city. In the later tales of Virginius about the founding of Rome, the theme of the miraculous salvation of the twins and their feeding by soulless animals is interpreted by historians as the idea of divine destiny for world domination. At the same time, in many myths, the refrain is the idea that Roman politics, the system of government, social relations are approved from above and are the most just.
Hellenistic mythology of ancient Rome
The Hellenistic influence on the legends of ancient Rome can be seen already in the first mythological account of the creation of Rome. Romulus and Remus - twin brothers were the grandchildren of Aeneas, one of the Trojans who escaped under Odysseus. The ship of Aeneas wandered around the Mediterranean for a long time, until it was thrown onto the coast of the Apennine Peninsula. During the landing, the city of Alba Longa was founded. And the youngest son of Aeneas, Amulius, who was the uncle of Romka and Rem, threw the twins into the Tiber.
It is about these events that the mythological poem "Aeneid", written by the "Mantuan swan" - Virgil, narrates on the border of the old and new chronologies. Speaking of legends and tales of ancient Rome the period of the first Roman emperors, one cannot but recall about, whose name has survived to this day thanks to the 142 books he wrote, “History from the founding of the city”. Despite the historicity of this work, it is impossible not to notice a sufficient amount of mythologization of real-life personalities in it. 
If the "Science of Love" and "Metamorphoses" written by Publius Ovid Nason are more likely to be religious and moral works, then his famous "Fast" is a historical work. This "calendar" poem is thoroughly permeated with the myths and legends of ancient Rome, which embellished the real life of the rulers and politicians who lived in those days.
Sextus Aurelius Propertius entered Roman historiography as a friend of Virgil and Ovid. He wrote 4 elegiac poems, and in the fourth book of elegies dedicated to him, literary scholars note the significant influence of the legends of Ancient Egypt.
Roman storytellers and poets borrowed gods not only from the Greeks. Their culture was a conglomeration of the cultural traditions of all the peoples of the Mediterranean. Moreover, the Romans did not just copy the exploits of the legendary characters, but meaningfully attributed them to the ancient Roman heroes.
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